The Brazilian states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins form the area known as Legal Amazônia, a region considered various protections and economic incentives by the federal government.
The extreme northern region of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, and the southern part of the state of Pará are together known as the 'território portal da Amazônia', or the gateway to Amazonia. It is in this region, specifically the town of Alta Floresta (the regional economic centre), where I am based.
The municipalities of Alta Floresta, Paranaita, Apiacás, Nova Bandeirantes, Jacareacanga and Novo Progresso annually rank amongst the highest rates of absolute and relative deforestation in the country. This ongoing destruction has won the region fame as home to the 'arc of deforestation'.